Display and dispensing device



June 17, 1930.

| E. PRATT DISPLAY AND DISPENSING DEVICE Filed 001'.- 20, 1928 .q- 5 MM, 2

ATT NEYS.

Patented June 17, 1930 UNITED sfrArEsi PATENT OFF-ICE? [mwmmvn' n rnurr, or NUTLEY, NEW annsnY, Assmnon 'ro rna'r'r a mom mo,

or new YORK, n. x, A conromrron or. NEW YORK DISPLAY AND DISPENSING DEVI This invention relates to the packaging of articles for sale and the object of the invention is to provide a carton of simple construction in which the vendable articles may a be packed and shipped to the retailer in compact, convenient form and which carton may thereupon be employed as a display and dispensing device for such articles.

The construction of the carton is such that it may rest upon a counter in a manner to display the goods and to permit the articles to be removed one by one from the package as they are sold.

An important practical feature of theinvention resides in the pronounced simplicity of the carton. In accordance with the pres- --eet-invention, said carton may be made from a single blank f material cut to a suitable shape to permit it to be folded into the form of a closed receptacle without moving parts and thoroughly efficient not only for shipping but for display purposes.-

In its preferred practical embodiment, the carton is constructed from cardboard cut into a blank of suitable shape and scored to permit it to be folded into a closed receptacle.

,A portion of the blank is also shaped to constitute an easel whereby-the body of the carton may be supported on a counter in an inclined position. The carton is preferably made of suflicient depth to support a plurality of layers of articles and the forward and upper portion of the carton is cut away to provide an opening through which the articles may be individually moved.

A further important practical feature of the invention resides in the fact that a portion of the blank is'cut to form a tongue which has a dual purpose. That is to say, this tongue is adapted to function in the packaging and during the shipment of the;

goods as a retainer to preclude the articles from falling out of the withdrawal opening in the container, but when the carton is set up fordisplay purposes the sanie tongue is bent back and forms the base of the easel. This construction makes for pronounced economy of production.

Another featureof the invention, particularly when employed to enclose a number, of

' Application filed October 20, 1928. Serial No. 813,870.

layers of 'vendable articles, consists in'the employment of a guide strip. This strip'is preferably made U shaped and is adapted to embrace the lower 0st layer ofthe articles and serves the dua purpose of covering the.

opening in the bottom of the boxamade by cutting out the tongue to which I have referred and also to form a guide shelf down which the packages of the superimposed layer are adapted to slide as they are individually dispensed, This guide strip is preferably made of a separate piece of material since when thus made, a great saving of material isefl'ected and cardboard which might otherwise constitute scrap is employed for the fulfillment of an important function.

Features of the invention, other than. those specified, will be apparent'from the hereinafter detailed description and claims, when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawing.

The accompanying drawing illustrates one practical embodiment of the invention, but the construction therein shown is to be understood as illustrative, only, and not as de fining the limits of ,the invention.

Figure 1 is a perspective view showing the carton ofthe present invention packed with articles enclosed. for shipment.

Figure 2 is a perspective view' showing the deviceconditioned for display purposes.

Figure 3 shows the fiat blank from which the carton is made.

' Figure 4'- is a section on the line 4-4 of Figure 1.

. lines, a closed. container will result.

By reference to this figure, it will be noted that 1. designates the bottom section, 2 the to I section, and 3, 4 and 5 the sides of the contamer. One end wall of the. container is formed by theendsection 6 at one end of the top section 2, while the other end embodies two end sections 7 and 8 formed on the opposite end of the bottom section 1. Tabs 9,

is formed on the upper end of the bottom section 1.

Thebottom section 1 is, moreover, cut to form a flap 18 transversely scored at 19 and provided with ears cut from the stock as shown.

When a blank formed as shown in Fig. 3

. and scored as described, is folded along the scored lines, there results a container such as shown in Figs. 1, 2, 4 and 5 of the drawings. The tabs 9, 10 and 11 are turned in at 90 degrees to the respective sections 3, 4 and 5, the

' end section 6 is bent at 90 degrees to the section 2 to overlie the tabs 9, 10 and 11, and the tab 15 is folded at 90 degrees to the section 6 and tucked in to underlie the upper face of the bottom section 1. Tabs 12, 13 and 14 are bent along theiscored lines at 90 degrees to the respective sections 3, 4 and 5. The sec tion 7 is also bent up at 90 degrees to the section 1 and the section 8 is then folded down into the interior of the receptacle to overlie the inner faces of the tabs 12, 13 and 14 while the tab 16 1ies flat against the bottom of the box, all as clearly shown in Figure 4.

The articles are put into the receptacle and the flap I8 is bent around as shown in Figs. 1 and4 and tucked into the interior of the receptacle so as to lie in face abutting relation to the under side of the top section and to be clamped between this section and the articles packed in the container. This tab' is desirable because as shown in the drawings, the top section, as well as the side sections 3, 4 and 5, are cut away to provide a discharge opening 20 through which the articles contained in the receptacle may be removed therefrom. If some means were not provided to preclude these articles from dislodgment during shipping, they would fall through the discharge opening 20, but when the tongue 18 is tucked into the container-as shown, it serves to hold the articles in place without the employment of any extraneous means for this purpose.

During shipment, the flap 17 has fiat against the under side of the container as shown in Fig. 4. However, when it isdesired to display the contents of the container, the flap is bent down as shown in Fig. 2, the flap 18 is drawn out fiat as shown in this figure and the ears 20 are bent up as illustrated to engage with the free end of the flap 17, so that the flaps 17 and 18 constitute collectively an easel to support the container -in inclined position as illustrated. The container is preferably made to contain two rows or layers of articles to be vended and in this event I preferably employ in conjunction with the arrangement already described a socalled guide strip 21 shown in detail in Fig. 6. This strip is in the form of a length of cardboard bent upon itself so as to be substantially U shaped with' the distance between the legs equal to the thickness of the articles to be vended.

The lower row of articles is adapted to be positioned within this U shaped strip and thereupon placed in the receptacle. The strip is proportionedso that the part 22 thereof overlies the bottom section 1 after the manme of a false bottom and to cover and conceal the opening produced by cutting away the flap 18. The part 23 overlies the tops of the bottom layer of articles and is made somewhat shorter than the part 22 so as to extend only to the edge of the cut out 20, so that when all of the'top row of articles are removed, the bottom row of articles can be individually taken from the receptacle. The articles are designated 24 in the drawings and the carton is made of a size so as to receive said articles with a close sliding fit. Consequently, whenthe carton is set up in display position shown in Fig. 2, the articles will all tend to gravitate to the lowerforward end of the display device, so that as one of the articles is removed through the opening 20, the whole row will gravitate downwardly to place the next article in juxta-' .position with the opening and so on until all of the articles of the top row are removed.

The opening 20 is cut sufliciently low at the sides as shown in Figures 1 and 2, so that the lowermost article of the bottom row may thereupon be readily removed and thereafter the articles in such bottom row will slide downwardly and into position to be con-1 venientlysuccessively-removed until the re-' ceptacle is empty.

Attention is called to vthe marked simf.

plicity and economy of the present invention. Very little if any more stock is necessary for the formation of the present carton than is employed for conventional paper boxes and yet all the advantages of convenient packaging and artistic display are provided for in the device'of this invention.

In practice, the exterior faces of the blank provide convenient space for advertising matter and when the device is in display position, the articles themselves can be readily seen, thereby producing not only an attractive but an eficient selling medium. More prising top, bottomisside and end walls, the

top and side walls eing cut away adjacent one end of the carton to provide an openin ton and so through adapted to be folded over the end of the carthrough which articles may be removed, an a flap cut from the bottom of the carton and adapted to be folded over the end of the carton and tucked into the interior thereof through said openin to overlie articles in the carton and preclu e them from falling through the opening during shipmentof the carton. a

y 2. A display and dispensing carton comprising top, bottom side and end walls, the. top and side walls being cut away adjacent. one end of the carton to provide an opening through which articles may be removed, a flap cut from the bottom of the carton and adapted to be folded over the end of the car-- tucked into the interior thereof through said opening to overlie articles in the carton and preclude them from falling through theo ening during shipmentof the carton, said ap bein withdrawable from" the opening'and laid at on a flat surface to form the base of an easel, and an additional flap formed on the carton to cooperate with the base of the easel for the purpose of mainthe carton in inclined display position with the opening unencumbered to permit the articles to'be removed from the carton..

3. A display prising top, bottom side and end walls, the top and side walls being cut away adjacent one end'of the carton to provide an opening through which articles may be removed, and cut from the bottom of the carton and tucked into the interior thereof said opening to overlie articles in the carton and preclude them from falling through the o ening during shipment of the carton, and a, alse bottom positioned interior of the carton and overlyin the'opening produced'by cutting out the ap therefrom.

4. A display and prising top, bottom side and end walls, the top andyslde walls being cut away adjacent one end through flap cut ton and which articles may be removed, a y from the bottom of the carton and adapted to be folded over the end of the carton and tucked into the interior thereof through said opening to overlie articles in one end a single integ the cartonand preclude themfrom falling through the opening during ship ment of the carton,.and afalse bottom positioned interior of the carton and overlylng the opening produced by cutting out the flap therefrom, said false bottom being provided with an extension projecting between superimposed la' ers of articles packed in the carton to provi' e a smooth surface on which the articles of the upper layer may freely slide when the carton is tilted into inclined position.

5. A'display and dispensing carton comprising top top and si e walls being cut away adjacent of the carton to provide an opening throu h which articles. may be removed, all of sai parts of the carton being formed from ral'blank, and a flap cut from the bottom wall of the carton and adapted to be tucked into'said opening to preclude articles packaged within the carton from falling out through the opening during shipment thereof, said flap constituting a portion of an easel adapted to support the carton in inclined position for display purposes.

bottom, side and end walls, the

In testimony whereof Iliave signed the foregoing specification.

' ,LEWELLYIT E. PRATT.

and dispensing carton comdispensmg carton comof the carton to provide an opening 

